Robert potts



(No ModeL) 3 Sheets-Shee:t 1'. E. D. BRONNER, R. POTTS & W. A. PUNGS.

GRAIN DOOR FOR CABS.

No. 422,909. Patented Mar. 11, 1890.

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INVENTOZ Wflw WITNESSES g Nv PETERS. Pnoto-Lilho m h UNITED STATESPATENT OFFICE.

EDMOND D. BRONNER, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN, ROBERT POTTS, OF ST.

THOMAS, ONTARIO, CANADA, AND WILLIAM A. PUNGS, OF DETROIT MICHIGAN,ASSIGNORS, BY DIRECT AND MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO THE METALLIC GRAIN DOORCOMPANY, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

GRAIN-DOOR FOR CARS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 422,909, dated March11, 1890.

Application filed May 27, 1889. Serial No. 312,269. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, EDMOND D. BRONNER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Detroit, county of WVayne, State of Michigan, ROBERT Form, asubj ect of the Queen of Great Britain,re siding at St. Thomas, countyof Elgin, Province of Ontario, Canada, and WIL- LIAM A. PUNGS, a citizenof the United States, residing at Detroit, county of iVayne, State ofMichigan, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement inGrainDoors for Cars; and we declare the following to be a full, clear,and exact description of the invention, such as will enable othersskilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use the same,reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings, which form a part ofthis specification.

Our invention has for its object to provide a grain-door for cars thatbecause of its construction will not bow and allow the grain to workout; one that because of its lightness can be easily raised out ofposition when desired, and one that because of its simplicity can becheaply manufactured; and these objects we accomplish by making the doorof steel or other suitable metal and by the peculiar shape andconstruction hereinafter described and claimed.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is an elevation of the inside of a car withour grain-door in position. Fig. 2 is a view looking down on the upperedge of the door. Fig. 3 is a view showing the manner of pivoting thedoor. Fig. 4 is a section on the line mm. Fig. 5 represents a variationin the mode of fastening and removing the door. Fig. 6 is a plan of thesame. Fig. 7 is a side elevation of an other elevation. Fig. 8 is anelevation showing two doors instead of a single one, and Fig. 9 is aplan view of the form shown in Fig. 8.

In carrying out our invention, A represents the side of the car; A A thedoor-posts; A the outer door of the car.

B represents our grain-door, composed of sheet metal, preferablysheet-steel.

B are the corrugations in the steel for stiflening and strengthening theconstruction.

These corrugations may be any number and B is a handle, whereby the doormay be swung up out of position, as shown in the dot ted lines in Fig.1.

In order to thoroughly stiffen the door constructed as described and toprevent it from bulging, we form on the edge opposite the pivot 19 aflange C. This may be accomplished, if desired, by riveting a piece onthe edge; but we prefer to simply turn the metal along the edge at rightangles to itself, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

here the door is supported other than. on a pivot, the construction ofthe flanged edge will be varied, as more particularly herein after shownanddescribed.

D D are cleats for engaging and holding the ends of the door when it isin place. The cleat D is stationary or rigid, and, being shaped asshown, when the door descends, the flange C entering the recess d in thecleat, the door is prevented from bulging by the flange. The cleat D isshaped similar to the cleat D and pivoted to the frame. After the dooris in place this cleat may be thrown over, so that the recess (1 willengage the flange, and thus lock the door still more firmly in place. Itwill be observed that these cleats D D are beveled slightly on theirinner faces, Fig. 4, the cleat D opening up while the cleat D opensdown. Thus when the door is dropped into place the beveled face of thecleat D forces it against the post, and the beveled face of the cleat D,when the latter is thrown into place, forces the upper edge of the door,tightly against the door-post. By thus providing the flanges on the endsof the door and having the cleats into which the flange drops the doormay be made-of much lighter material, since the whole construction isstiifthe cleat J on the other door.

ened by the flanges, and when the latter enter the cleats it isimpossible to bow the door without bending the metal or tearing out thecleats.

E is a small pendulum-latch pivoted above the corner of the door, sothat when the door is dropped intoplace it can only be raised by firstthrowing the latch to one side.

If for any reason it is practicable to have the door pivoted and swungup, it may be fastened as shown in Fig. 5. In this variation the ends ofthe door are curled to give the desired stiffness and also to looselyembrace the rods F F, which extend up parallel with the door-posts.These rods are the same height as the width of the door, so that toremove the door the operator has only to lift the door off the rods andthen slide it along on any suitable track or support G; or, if desired,the rod F may be extended up to the top of the car and act as a hinge bywhich the door after being raised up may be swung around against theside of the car and rest on the usual ledge found in all grain-cars.This latter construction is illustrated in Fig. 7; or, if desired, wemay use the construction shown in Fig. 8, where the door is divided, asat H H. The edges h It may be curled, as in Fig. 5, and the edges h itmade to lap each other. The doors may be fastened by the lever J,pivoted to one door and dropping into This latterconstruction is veryadvantageous, since in emptying the car the lever may be thrown up andthe doors thrown out, as shown by the dotted lines in Fig. 9. Then whenthe car is emptied the doors may be swung back and around against theside of the car. The doors would thus act as a hood to keep the grainfrom scattering when emptying the car.

What we claim is 1. The combination, with a grain-door for cars, made ofsheet metal and having one end turned at right angles to constitute aflange, of means on the door-post for engaging said flange to hold thedoor in place, substantially as described.

2. A metallic grain-door for cars, having a flange extending at rightangles from the end, one end of said door pivoted to the door-post, andcleats on the opposite door-post adapted to engage the flange on theopposite end of the'door, substantially as described.

3. The combination, with a metallic graindoor for cars, having a flangeextending at right angles from one end, of cleats on the door-post, eachprovided with a recess inwhich the flange is engaged, the inner faces ofsaid cleats being beveled to force the door tightly against the post,substantially as described.

4. The combination, with a metallic graindoor for cars, having astiffening-flange on its end, of a pivotedcleat having its inner facebeveled and adapted to engage the upper corner of the door and hold ittightly against the door-post, substantially as described.

In testimony whereofwe sign this specification in the presence of twowitnesses.

i EDMOND D. BRONNER.

ROBERT POTTS. WVILLIAM A. PUNGS. Witnesses:

J OHN G. DINGWALL, WILLIAM E. HIGGINBOTHAM.

